The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 2024 is well under way. The trailriders have made it to their destination. Rodeo Uncorked has popped. The winner of the World BBQ Championship has been announced and the concerts, horseshows, mutton bustin’ and art exhibits are taking place daily through March 17.
All that entertainment requires sustenance and this year’s Rodeo food vendors are ready to provide the calories. Yes, there will be funnel cakes and smoked turkey legs but the purveyors at HLSR up the ante when it comes to creative carnival eats. And each year, the public gets to vote online for their favorites leading up to the Gold Buckle Foodie Awards. The annual event brings invited judges from all over Houston’s media and restaurant world to pick the winners of the coveted awards.
For the third year in a row, the GBFA were held at Berg Hospitality’s fancy tented venue The Ranch Saloon + Steakhouse. While it’s a portable restaurant set up every year in the shadow of the Astrodome, its interior looks like that of an upscale Texas steakhouse with cowhides, chandeliers and rustic, yet elegant, furniture. This year, the venue has a two-level dining room set up which everyone who had been there previously found a nice change.
Judges were welcomed by the always smiling rodeo staff with soft drinks and judging materials. Most judges tended to sit with their own colleagues. I grabbed one of my fellow food writers to be my tablemate and we soon found ourselves enveloped by a crew of radio and television personalities from KILT (The Bull), KLOL (The Mega) and KHMX (Mix 96.5). Radio folks like to have a good time and our table was well on its way to doing so before the food even arrived.
But amid all this fun is a serious task. We judges have the honor and belt-bustin’ pleasure of tasting all of the finalists’ entries which meant we had 18 dishes to sample. And they weren’t salads. I lucked out this year and finally found a pair of stretchy jeans which gave me some breathing room and Rodeo style at the same time. Eventually, I will get myself a cowgirl hat.
Round number one was Best Fried Food. Of course it was. Over the years, there have been some interesting fried entries like fried cookie dough, Monte Cristo funnel cake and fried lasagna. This year was a little more tame.
The Chicken Fried Bacon from Yoakum Packing Company was our first item. While a couple of judges thought it was salty and another said a tempura batter would have been better, I ate my whole piece with no complaints. I liked it and thought it was an easy-to-eat carnival food. Next was the Ultimate Minneapple Pie, from the Original Minneapple Pie. It is a consistent participant in the Gold Buckle Foodie Awards and this year, its pie was perfect. The chunks of apple were perfectly cooked and the flaky pie crust was gorgeous. It was served with ice cream which was a nice complement to the warm pie.
The next fried item was Fried Dumplings & Shrimp Chips from Asian Streetness. It was tasty but would have been better represented if it had been warm. It was a chilly day outside and that seemed to affect several of the items that we were served.
For round two, we were choosing the Best Food-on-a-Stick. The Cowboy Caramel Apple from Munch-oes Bakery looked pretty but the caramel inside was a little hard to eat. The Chicken in a Waffle on a Stick from Waffle Chix was attractive as well and we were all expecting more flavor from the chicken inside. Still, it’s another item that would be easy for on-the-go noshing.
When we were delivered the Brunch Pops from Corn Dog with No Name, we were not quite sure what to expect. To me, it was like Waffle House on a stick with all the good stuff from a breakfast platter, minus the eggs. One of our tablemates made a comment about the sausage and I am pretty sure she was the same judge from last year who was talking about weenies. A lot.
The Classic Fair Food category is always a good one and this year’s started with a Brisket Baked Potato from Saltgrass Steak House. The brisket was tender and smoky and was even given high marks from Buc-ees pit master Randy Pauly. We were then given a small sample of Harlon’s Chop Beef Brisket Sandwich. Harlon’s BBQ is always a favorite, not only for its consistently good ‘cue but also because the face of Harlon’s, Candace Harlon, always keeps everyone laughing with her energy. Unfortunately, the sample was hurt by the ice cold bread on which the chopped brisket was served.
The third entry in the Classic Fair Food was Big Fat Bacon on a Stick from Big Fat Bacon. It was deliciously sweet and had just a touch of smokiness. Everyone gnawed happily at their bacon like labradors with jerky treats. Bacon was having a moment at this year’s awards. After the tasting, most of the Rodeo committee volunteers were chomping away on this entry.
We were halfway through the tasting when we were on to Most Creative Food. The Barbalicious Float by Candy Factory arrived at the table. My fellow writer was not looking forward to what seemed to be a sugar-laden concoction but we were all surprised how balanced it was despite the cotton candy and sprinkles. The whipped cream melted into the fizzy soda giving it the flavor of a pink Dreamsicle. It was followed by Snake Bite Nachos from Pioneer Wagon which purportedly had a mix of ground beef and snake. It would have had a better showing with a tastier cheese rather than the gloopy concession stand version. The hatch chile sauce, however, added a nice kick. The Chicharron Nachos were a bit soggy by the time they reached the judges so it was hard to really get a good idea of what they would taste like on the Midway. We weren’t sure that airy pork rinds were the right vehicle for that particular bite.
Heading in to the home stretch, we were served the contestants for Best New Flavor. This category required the entries to be first time foods at the Houston Rodeo. Asian Streetness had Wonton Nachos as their New Flavor and the wontons were crispy and held up to the toppings. The Paradise Maple Waffle Burger was one of my favorites, though my fellow writer and I both agreed that the onions could have been caramelized a bit more. When we were served the Chili Mac Attack Potato, it was an amalgamation of what makes good Rodeo eating. I didn’t let the fact that it was from a chain, Saltgrass Steak House, color my judgment. I was surprised by how good the chili itself was. The spiral macaroni added a unique texture but I was happy to see corn chips on top. It was like a Frito Pie baked potato with a little mac. It took home the honors for Best New Flavor.
Finally, as we judges felt we couldn’t eat another bite, the Best Dessert category was announced. First to arrive was the Lemon Cake Bar from Fried What?. The lemon curd wasn’t too sour and the crunchy bits of hard lemon candy on top gave it a little oomph. The Caramel Apple Churro on a Stick from Pioneer Wagon was a beautifully fried, sugar-dusted pastry but the judges at our table weren’t in love with the caramel apple filling.
The last dessert to hit the table was a stunner because we received the whole version, not just a sample. We each were blessed with a slice of Bacon Bourbon Caramel Cheesecake on a Stick from Big Fat Bacon. This earned the team a second win that afternoon. It was exactly what one would expect from a slice of cheesecake covered in caramel and bacon chunks. If I had one tweak, it would be to have crispy bacon bits on top rather than the chewy bacon chunks. Still, it was a slice of heaven on a stick.
Things were starting to wind down as we waited for the winners to be announced. Our table had been the rowdiest one, in a good way, though I am not sure why George Lindsey of The Bull had our table deliver our leftover baked potatoes to his compatriot Erik Smith. We just did as we were told and it caused a lot of hilarity. My fellow writer and I weren’t in on the joke but we caved to peer pressure just the same.
After bidding farewell to the other judges, I headed out toward the mutton bustin’ and watched a few brave tots attempt the six-second ride of terror upon the backs of wooly sheep. Then, I made my way to the Horse Show arena and marveled at the delicate dancing of cutting horses and their riders as they maneuvered the calves into their pens. After a half hour, with a full stomach and a couple of Texas-shaped cowhide coasters for my father, I made the trek back to the parking lot.
I am not sure the long walk burned enough calories to offset the caloric damage done by judging the Gold Buckle Foodie Awards. But it was worth it.
Gold Buckle Foodie Awards Winners 2024
Best Fried Food
1st- The Ultimate Minneapple Pie / The Original Minneapple Pie
2nd- Fried Dumplings & Shrimp Chips / Asian Streetness
3rd- Chicken Fried Bacon / Yoakum Packing Company
Best Food-on-a-Stick:
1st- Brunch Pops / Corn Dog With No Name
2nd- Chicken in a Waffle on a Stick / Waffle Chix
3rd- The Cowboy Caramel Apple / Munch-oes Bakery
Classic Fair Food:
1st- Big Fat Bacon on a Stick / Big Fat Bacon
2nd- Brisket baked Potato / Saltgrass Steak House
3rd- Chop Beef Brisket Sandwich / Harlon’s BBQ
Most Creative Food:
1st-The Barbalicious Float / Candy Factory
2nd- Chicharron nachos / Texas Pride Grill
3rd- Snake Bite nachos / Pioneer Wagon
Best New Flavor:
1st- Chili Mac Attack Potato / Saltgrass Steak House
2nd- Wonton Nachos / Asian Streetness
3rd- Paradise Maple Waffle Burger / Paradise Burgers
Best Dessert:
1st- Bacon Bourbon Caramel Cheesecake on a Stick / Big Fat Bacon
2nd- Lemon Cake Bar / Fried What?
3rd- Caramel Apple Cowboy Churro on a Stick / Pioneer Wagon
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
